No Visual of Traffic Automata [Solved]

[daderic888 216]

G'day all,

I installed Network Addon Mod 38, Euro LHD with radical traffic (non persistent).

Previously I have changed the settings to suit the LHD.

I checked the Data View of both congestion and volume. There definitely is traffic, but there is no automata.

This has been going on since I installed Network Addon Mod 37, selecting standard traffic (persistent automata) where the choice of LHD is included and which I selected.

Unless the Sims are using telepathy to get from A to B, or using ghost cars and buses, it looks like i missed something?

Any tips please?

Thanks.

[Whte_rbt 1,431]

First thing I'd check is the graphic settings of the game itself, sounds like you've got the detail on low.

[daderic888 216]

Thanks Whte_rbt

The detail has been set on high, but there's no difference.

What about the Software & Hardware settings?

[rsc204 21,808]

We did get one report of a similar problem, it turned out to be because the user set a really high capacity for NAM, but actual usage numbers didn't warrant it. So if SC4 sees network utilisation around a few percent, your streets will look very quiet compared to one with say 50% utilisation. Remember Automata is just generated by algorithms and doesn't actually exist in any real or functional sense. It's purpose is to give you a visual representation of how busy your networks are.

[daderic888 216]

Thanks rsc204,

I solved the problem by doing the following:

1. Removed NAM 38 and installed it again selecting "Low",

2. Opened up the city I'm working on,

3. Still no automata appeared,

4. Exited to Region, opened the graphics settings, went to "Renderer" and selected the "Hardware" setting (I had it set on the "Software" setting),

5. Crossed my fingers,

6. Quit SimCity 4 altogether,

7. Started the game up again to go to the region and opened up the city,

8. Voila, automata appeared. 

Cheers.

[CorinaMarie 29,605]

5 hours ago, daderic888 said:

5. Crossed my fingers,

^ A very important step!

Thanks for listing the exact steps you did as this can help anyone else who finds this topic from Googling.

[rsc204 21,808]

9 hours ago, daderic888 said:

1. Removed NAM 38 and installed it again selecting "Low",

In the case of the Traffic Simulator, included with the NAM installer is the TSCT (Traffic Simulator Configuration Tool), which allows you to adjust any such settings without re-installing NAM.

9 hours ago, daderic888 said:

4. Exited to Region, opened the graphics settings, went to "Renderer" and selected the "Hardware" setting (I had it set on the "Software" setting),

Ideally you should never use Software rendering, unless Hardware rendering simply doesn't work for you. It's a compatibility mode that leads to a sub-par experience playing SC4 and is intended as a last resort.

That said, use of Software Rendering in and of itself does not prevent Automata from appearing, so this simply could not have been what resolved your problem. I would guess some of the other graphics settings were perhaps altered too.

[daderic888 216]

Thanks CorinaMarie,

Anytime 

 

Thanks rsc204 (thumbs up), 

I think it was just the Rendering setting that had to be changed. I'm not sure how it was on "Software" rendering to start with. Maybe it is a default setting, I don't know. I hadn't changed any of the other graphic settings.

[rsc204 21,808]

Software Rendering is not a default, unless SC4 detects your hardware is not compatible with DirectX. Even then, it displays a message to tell you about it before continuing.

And I tested it myself with software rendering and indeed, setting this does not alter how Automata appear, so as I said it just can't be that simple. Not that this matters hugely, since you've got things working, it's really more to prevent people getting the wrong idea if they are suffering from a similar problem.

[jeffryfisher 2,176]

2 hours ago, rsc204 said:

software rendering and indeed, setting this does not alter how Automata appear

I think that software-rendering uses a different branch of the graphics SGR file, so depending on what you've written into that, the graphics setting could indeed change (or not).

[rsc204 21,808]

Just for clarity here, when I was testing this, it was with unmodified SGR files, since I have no problems getting my GTX 960 auto-detected and running on DirectX. So if that were the case, it would be the result of user modifications.